19.1.10

Fatherhood ideologues David Blankenhorn and Wade Horn have bemoaned the what they refer to as the crisis of "fatherlessness." The National Fatherhood Initiative in particular has been instrumental in disseminating doomsday platitudes about the current state of fatherhood in this country. Blankenhorn has specifically cited the two-parent, married home with the visible and active presence of the father has head of household as the remedy for poverty, child sexual abuse, and domestic violence. More

Fathers’ rights groups overlap with men’s rights groups and both represent an organised backlash to feminism. Fathers’ rights and men’s rights groups can be seen as the anti-feminist wing of the men’s movement, the network of men’s groups and organisations mobilised on gender issues. More

While there have been many positive and supportive organizations arising to meet the needs of distressed fathers after painful divorce proceedings, there have been other organizations that are less constructive. Some fathers' rights groups send misogynist messages, use strategies such as harassment, stalking and intimidation, and strive to chip away at programs and services for women and children. They deny the extent of domestic violence and offer sympathy to the perpetrators. More